LOGINLeila’s POV The Blood Moon loomed above us, I stood at the edge of the ceremonial grounds, heart beating against my ribs like war drums.The pack had gathered. Hundreds of wolves lined the outer circle in silence. Young, old, wounded, strong. I looked down at my hands. The ceremonial robe I wore was white, stitched with silver threads that shined faintly with every step. The triplets stood across the sacred fire, each robed in deep crimson trimmed with black. Henry’s expression was calm. Elijah was proud and gentle. Liam looked tense but determined. Behind them, the full council sat in their stone seats. Orion was at the center, cane in one hand, gaze sharp despite his age.I stepped forward. I reached the center of the circle. The triplets turned to face me, one by one.Henry stepped forward first. His hand gently took mine. His eyes searched mine—not asking for permission, but offering a vow. He pressed a silver dagger against my wrist. I didn’t flinch. The blade slid cleanly,
Henry's POV The grounds smelled of ash, pine, and dried herbs. I stood at the edge of the ceremonial circle, watching as the young wolves moved in silence, laying down silverstone markers and sprinkling protective salts. The Blood Moon would rise in less than two nights, and everything had to be perfect.I knelt down and pressed my palm into the earth. The soil was warm. “Still?” Elijah’s voice came from behind.I didn’t turn. “Yes. There’s something beneath us, faint, like a shadow watching us.”“Elijah,” I said. “We may have driven Sabastian’s spirit back but some part of him still lingers. I can feel it in the ground, in the air.”He didn’t argue. He felt it too. We all did.We had cleared the traitor, banished Kane, and doubled the protective runes but the ache at the base of my spine remained. It was the same feeling I had every time Sabastian entered a room. I dusted off my hands and looked at the center of the circle. That’s where she would stand Leila. Our mate. Our Luna.
Leila povThe war was over but the fear remained. I could feel it in the way the young ones looked over their shoulders. In how they flinched when the wind howled too loud. I sat legs crossed in the middle of the training circle surrounded by twelve wolves. Most of them were just kids, some hadn’t shifted yet. Others had seen too much to ever shift peacefully again.I kept my voice calm as I guided them through breathing exercises. Elder Mira had taught me how to center a shaken wolf. I was trying my best to follow her steps. It worked… for a while.Until Ressa started shaking.Her fingers curled into claws, her eyes went wide, her breath came in gasps. I moved closer to her and kept my tone soft.“You’re okay, you’re safe.”She looked right through me. “I can hear him.”My skin turned cold. “Who Ressa?”“Sabastian,” she whispered. “He talks in my dreams, he says he’s not dead, he says he’s coming back.”The circle broke apart. One of the boys growled, another stood and backed a
Elijah’s POV The first light of dawn filtered through the high windows of the council chamber, casting long beams across the polished stone floor. I stood beside Orion at the head of the great oaken table, maps and sealed scrolls laid before us. Henry and Liam flanked me, stern faces already fixed in the day’s business.Orion cleared his throat. “My sons, Elijah…” He paused to look each of us in the eye. “The time has come to repair alliances beyond our borders. I need you, Elijah, to carry these messages to the other Alpha leaders.”He tapped a sealed scroll marked with the Crimson Moon sigil. “These letters propose renewed trade, mutual defense against the dark packs, and an invitation for Leila to speak as Luna in each council.”My heart stuttered at the mention of Leila’s name—her voice in foreign halls was unthinkable just weeks ago. Now, it was necessary for peace. I nodded, careful to keep my expression even.“I will carry them,” I said quietly.Orion’s gaze softened with fath
Liam’s POVI’d been restless all evening. Peace had returned to Crimson Moon, but it didn’t feel like victory. My muscles itched for the clash of blades, the roar of battle—but the training yard lay quiet now, wooden dummies untouched. I wrapped my cloak tighter against the night chill and made my way toward the orchard, hoping fresh air might settle my nerves.As I passed the old oak where Leila and I had shared so many dawns, I heard a whimper. I froze. The moonlight slipped through the branches, illuminating the grass in silver pools. Beneath one, a young wolf crouched, shoulders trembling, eyes wild.I approached slowly. “Hey there,” I whispered, keeping my voice soft. “I’m Liam.”He jerked his head up—pale eyes wide as he tried to see me through panic. “I—” his voice cracked—“I thought I was alone.”“Not tonight,” I assured him, crouching a few feet away. “What’s your name?”He swallowed. “Corin.”“Corin, you’re safe here.” I lifted my hands, palms open. No sword, no shield—just
Leila’s POV The morning was cool and quiet as I slipped through the healer’s tent, cradling a small bowl of cooling salve. I’d treated most of the wounded, patched the new cuts from yesterday’s training, and had just enough time for one more patient: myself.I unwrapped the light bandage around my right forearm. Underneath lay the faint pink line of a scar, slightly raised, winding like a river of old pain. It had come from my first escape attempt, when I had fled Sebastian’s chamber. I’d been pushed against a stone wall; the mark had burned into my flesh, and later healed with the soft pink line that still held memories.But this morning, under the soft lantern light, I noticed something I’d missed before: a faint shimmer around the scar’s edge. A twist of silver light, as though magic still pulsed beneath the skin.My breath caught. I leaned in, heart pounding. I whispered to myself, “Impossible…”I dabbed the salve over the scar, but the shimmer remained, a heartbeat of light at t
Leila’s POV The first light of morning filtered through the tall pines, painting the clearing in pale gold. I stood before the half-ruined walls of the old infirmary, rolling up my sleeves and stepping over broken tile and scattered bandages. Around me, Crimson Moon’s healers and builders, mothers
Elijah’s POV I sat by the dying embers of our campfire, the night air cool against my skin. The battle is long over; the valley lies quiet now, littered with broken spears and the hushed murmurs of wounded men. All around me, my brothers and the pack tend their fires and their wounds. But no one t
Henry’s POV The morning sun climbed higher, chasing off the last shadows of dawn, when I found Elijah sitting alone by the riverbank. The camp was stirring ,healers packing their herbs, scouts cleaning weapons, cooks stoking the morning fires, but he sat apart from us all, shoulders slumped, gaze
Alpha Orion's POV I rose before dawn, the eastern sky just beginning to pale from black to charcoal. The air is thick with the scent of damp earth and spilled blood, and in the camp below, campfires still smolder among the rows of tents. I pull my wolfskin cloak tight around my shoulders and step







